http://crinfo.beyondintractability.org/c101/#1U Guy Burgess and Heidi Burgess, Co !

irectors and "ditors Beyond Intractability Version II #00$ #00% &he Beyond 'ntractability (ro)ect c/o Conflict *esearch Consortiu+, Uni,ersity of Colorado

Conflict 101 What EVERYONE Should no! about Conflict

"n Online Course fro# Beyond Intractability and CRInfo $he Conflict Resolution Infor#ation Source

What this Program Is: &his is a college le,el course built on the Beyond 'ntractability and C*'nfo -Conflict *esolution 'nfor+ation .ource/ 0ebsites. &he course focuses on things everybody should 1no0 about conflict: 0hy it occurs, ho0 it can be beneficial, and ho0 to +anage it so that it is beneficial and not har+ful. &his course is a spin off fro+ another course 0e ha,e been teaching for se,eral years called 2!ealing Constructi,ely 0ith 'ntractable Conflicts.2 3s the na+e i+plies, that course focuses on ,ery long lasting conflicts that are difficult to resol,e 4 international conflicts such as 'sraeli/(alestinian relations, and do+estic conflicts o,er highly contentious issues such as abortion and gay +arriage. Ho0e,er, a lot of the +aterial in that course is also rele,ant to +ore 2ordinary2 conflicts 4 parents arguing 0ith their 1ids about beha,ior proble+s, spousal disagree+ents, 0or1place tensions, and so on. &his course is designed to focus +ore on conflicts of that 1ind than on the ,ery difficult international ones, although 0e ha,e not entirely cut out the intractable +aterial, as fa+ily, 0or1place, and co++unity conflicts can, indeed, be ,ery intractable5 'n addition, the principles that apply to 'sraelis and (alestinians also apply to conflicts bet0een identity groups in this country: bet0een blac1s and 0hites, funda+entalist Christians and gays 4 although, 0e hope, to a lesser degree5 &herefore, rather than re0riting these essays to eli+inate all the references to international conflicts, 0e ha,e tried to supple+ent those illustrations 0ith do+estic illustrations, or sho0 ho0 the ideas apply in both the do+estic and international conte6ts. 3bout half of the +aterial is theoretical, co,ering topics such as:

&he nature and causes of conflict &he costs and benefits of conflict &he dyna+ics of conflicts Ho0 conflicts end &he other half of the +aterial is +ore practical, co,ering such 7uestions as:

Can conflict be a,oided8 'f so, ho08 Ho0 -and 0hy/ does one do a conflict assess+ent8 Ho0 does one deal 0ith conflict in a constructi,e 0ay8 Ho0 can co++unication escalate 4 and de escalate 4 conflict8 Ho0 can one negotiate effecti,ely8 9hat 1inds of assistance and inter,ention are a,ailable for dealing 0ith conflict -+ediation, for e6a+ple/8 Ho0 do these different types of inter,ention 0or18 Ho0 does one decide 0hat approach to ta1e8 Ho0 does one find assistance if one needs it8 Who is this Program For? &his progra+ 0ill be of interest to college students -both ad,anced undergraduates and graduate students/, people 0ho deal 0ith conflict a lot in their )obs -teachers, +anagers, health care pro,iders, etc./, parents 0ho 0ant to do a better )ob of dealing 0ith their 1ids or spouses, or anyone 0ho 0ants a better understanding of 0ays of dealing 0ith conflict. Course Requirements &his progra+ consists of 10 units, a,eraging about :0 pages of online reading each. ;or those 0anting +ore infor+ation, se,eral thousand pages of supple+ental +aterial and about 100 hours of online audio are also accessible in the full Beyond 'ntractability and C*'nfo syste+s. .tudents are as1ed to ans0er a fe0 7uestions at the end of each unit, generally re7uiring a 0ritten response of about # $ pages. <ost of these 7uestions can be ans0ered based on the readings and bac1ground 1no0ledge alone, although a fe0 +ay ta1e additional online reading to in,estigate the current status of a particular conflict. .tudents +ay also participate in an optional online discussion, in 0hich they are encouraged to relate 0hat they are learning to ongoing current e,ents. How Long Does this Program Take? &his progra+ is one course, about e7ui,alent in 0or1load to a three se+ester hour, upper di,ision college course. &hat +eans that 0e e6pect students to de,ote about 1#0 to 1=0 hours to the co+pletion of the course. >ou +ay choose to 0or1 full ti+e -in 0hich case you could co+plete the course in a +onth/, or you +ay ta1e up to a year to co+plete the 0or1. What Credit Do I Get? .tudents 0ho co+plete the 0or1 satisfactorily -or better/ get a 2letter of co+pletion2 fro+ C*'nfo, indicating that they ha,e co+pleted the progra+ in a satisfactory -or better/ +anner. &he letter describes the +aterials co,ered and the 0or1 done. 'f a participant does e6ceptional 0or1, that 0ill be noted in the letter as 0ell. It should also be noted that this is NOT a mediation course, and does not satisfy any requirement for mediation training. It also is not a "certificate program," and is not formally accredited by the University of Colorado.

Who Teaches the Course? Heidi Burgess, (h.!., and Guy Burgess, (h.!., are the pri+ary instructors, and they are assisted by their graduate students. &he Burgesses are co directors of the Beyond 'ntractability pro)ect, as 0ell as the Uni,ersity of Colorado Conflict *esearch Consortiu+, 0hich they founded -0ith others/ in 1?@@. 3s a tea+, they ha,e been doing research, 0riting, and teaching on intractable conflicts for about t0enty years, 0ith an e+phasis on international, inter group, ,alue based, and en,iron+ental conflicts. &hey ha,e also been leaders in the field of 'nternet disse+ination of conflict resolution infor+ation, ha,ing designed and co directed C*'nfo: &he Conflict *esolution 'nfor+ation .ource, the Anline &raining (rogra+ on 'ntractable Conflicts -the predecessor to this progra+/, and the Ci,il *ights <ediation Aral History (ro)ect. How uch Does the Course Cost?

&he cost for the course is B#=0 -U.!/, 0hich pays our instructors to carefully re,ie0 and co++ent on your assign+ents. .ince all of the course +aterials are freely a,ailable online, ta1ing the course for free as self study is also an option. How Do I Register? Anline registration ,ia credit card 0ill be a,ailable soon. 'n the +eanti+e, you can register for Conflict 101 by +ailing a chec1 or +oney order -or international +oney order/, +ade out to 2Conflict *esearch Consortiu+,2 to: Heidi Burgess Conflict *esearch Consortiu+ =@0 UCB Uni,ersity of Colorado Boulder, CA @0$0? 0=@0 U.3 3long 0ith your registration fee, please send us your na+e -e6actly as you 0ould li1e it to appear on your Cetter of Co+pletion/, e +ail address, postal address, and any bac1ground infor+ation on yourself that you thin1 0e should 1no0. >ou can also send this infor+ation ,ia e +ail, to the address listed belo0. Ance 0e recei,e your registration fee, 0e 0ill send you an e +ail confir+ing your registration. What I! I Ha"e #uestions? ;eel free to contact !r. Heidi Burgess 0ith any 7uestions or concerns that you +ay ha,e about the Conflict 101 course, but please be sure to include 2Conflict 1012 in the sub)ect line of all correspondence. !r. BurgessD e +ail address is:

Course %nits

Unit Unit Unit Unit ': Understanding Conflict: &he Basics '': &he (sychology of Conflict ''': *elationships in Conflict 'E: Co++unication 'ssues

Unit Unit Unit Unit Unit Unit

E: (o0er 'ssues E': Cultural 'ssues E'': "scalation and !e "scalation .trategies E''': Fegotiation 'G: 9hen Fegotiation 3lone !oesnDt 9or1 G: &he &hird .ide

$n%ine Discussion Note fro# &r' (eidi Bur)ess* Before you start the units, consider signing up for the online discussion. Right now, I am using the same online discussion for five courses, to increase the number of participants. All the courses are based on Beyond Intractability, but are focused at different levels, and, to some extent, have different readings. So you will all be coming to the discussion with somewhat different knowledge, and of course, different backgrounds and interests. But I am hoping that an interest in the topic of conflict in general and a knowledge of current events will be enough to make the discussion relevant to everybody. o sign up for the online discussion, go to the discussion sign!up page. After you sign up, you can click through to the discussions, read the instructions, and go for it" I look forward to #talking to you# there, as well as within the assignments.

%nderstandin) Conflict* $he Basics

%nit Ob+ecti,es* &he ob)ecti,e of this unit is to teach you to distinguish bet0een 2conflicts2 and 2disputes,2 learn 0hy the distinction +atters, and e6a+ine the costs 4 and benefits 4 of conflicts and disputes on indi,iduals, organiHations, co++unities, and societies. %nit Re-uire#ents*

%nit I

9riting 3ssign+ent: ;or this unit AFC>, the 0riting assign+ent co+es first 4 !"O#! you do the reading. *eading and listening -all a,ailable online/ Writin) "ssi)n#ent* &a1e out a piece of paper. -!oes this sound li1e your 0orst night+are fro+ grade school8 't 0onDt be that bad./

(art 1a: 9hen you thin1 of the 0ord 2conflict,2 0hat other 0ords do you thin1 of8 9rite the+ do0n 4 at least 10 of the+, +aybe e,en #0. (art 1b: &hen as1 $ other people to do the sa+e thing 4 0ithout sho0ing the+ your -or anyone elseDs/ list. (art #: Fo0 go to your co+puter. &ype all the 0ords onto one big list and then sort it into t0o colu+ns. Ane colu+n 0ill ha,e 0ords indicating good thingsI the other bad things 4 or at least not so good things. ;or e6a+ple: 2.ports2 +ight be a good thing 0hen you thin1 of conflict, 0hile 20ar2 is a bad thing. Ho0 +any of the 0ords you and your co+patriots ca+e up 0ith 0ere 2good2 0ords8 Ho0 +any 0ere 2bad2 0ords8 -(ut the su+ of each at the botto+ of your t0o lists./

(art $: assign+ent. 1. 9as #. $.

&hen ans0er the follo0ing 7uestions and send all this in for your Unit ' -3i+ for #=0 =00 0ords for (art $./ 9hat does this tell you about ho0 you 4 and your friends 4 ,ie0 conflict8 there a noticeable difference bet0een people8 9hat do you thin1 this +ight +ean8 Ho0 does your ,ie0 of conflict affect ho0 you thin1 about it and engage in it8

;or this assign+ent -and all others/, sa,e your responses in a file 4 preferably <icrosoft 9ord or Corel 9ord(erfectI if you use a different 0ord processor, try sa,ing as a .t6t or .rtf file. .end the file as an attach+ent in an e +ail to !r. Burgess. %nit I Readin) and .istenin)* A1ay, no0 it is ti+e to start the readings. 9hen you do the readings 4 all of the readings in this unit and the others 4 you 0ill note that so+e of the essays ha,e a bo6 at the right that says 2co++ents: listen/read.2 e sure to clic$ on this bo% and listen to the person or people tal1ing and&or read the transcript for additional infor+ation on the essay topic. .o+eti+es there are )ust one or t0o audio co++entsI so+eti+es there are 7uite a fe0. 'f there are lots, you +ay not ha,e ti+e to listen to the+ all, but they tend to 2bring life2 to the readings, so 0e encourage you to listen to as +any as you can. 3ll of these fol1s are leaders in the field of conflict resolution fro+ around the 0orld, tal1ing about their areas of e6pertise. Cistening to their ,oices 0ill really bring these ideas ali,e for you in 0ays that the reading alone cannot do. 3nother note: 9hile +ost of the re7uired readings are either theoretical or practical -ho0 to/ essays, so+e are 0hat 0e call 2personal reflections2 and/or case studies 0ritten about real conflict situations. .ince real situations are not nice and neat, they often 0onDt trac1 perfectly 0ith the other readings. But again, they are +eant to illustrate ho0 ,alues and conflict affect real people in real life, and, 0e hope, they also 0ill help to bring this course to life. 3 final note: &here are CA&. and CA&. of lin1s and additional readings in each of these essays. These are totally optional. ;ollo0 the+ as your interests and ti+e allo0. .o, onto the readings... &hese essays introduce you to so+e of the +ost basic ideas and ter+s in the conflict resolution field. (lease read these essays and listen to -or read/ at least so+e of the audio co++ents associated 0ith the+ as 0ell. Conflicts and !isputes Conflict scholars +a1e a critical distinction bet0een short ter+ disputes and deep rooted, long ter+ conflicts. Cearn 0hy conflicts and disputes are so co++on, and 0hy conflicts are so +uch harder to resol,e than disputes. 9hat 3re 'ntractable Conflicts8 3lthough this course pri+arily addresses the sort of 2regular conflicts2 that 0e all deal 0ith all of the ti+e, it see+s that 0e in 3+erica -and else0here/ are also encountering difficult, see+ingly intractable conflicts +ore and +ore -U./'ra7, abortion, gay +arriage, the 2red blue di,ide,2 etc./ &his essay discusses 0hy so+e conflicts beco+e intractable, and, ,ery briefly, 0hatDs to be done about that. Causes of Conflicts and !isputes !isputes are generally caused by +isunderstandings or conflicts of interests, 0hile conflicts are caused by +ore deep rooted differences 4 o,er ,alues or funda+ental hu+an needs, for e6a+ple. &his essay re,ie0s the co++on causes of both. Costs of Conflicts and !isputes 3lthough the costs of so+e conflicts 4 the 'ra7 0ar, for e6a+ple 4 are ,ery e,ident -to those 0ho pay attention, at least/, the costs of other conflicts, such as fa+ily

conflicts or 0or1place conflicts, are often hidden and o,erloo1ed. &his essay discusses so+e of the psychological, sociological, and econo+ic costs of interpersonal and organiHational conflicts, as 0ell as briefly touching on the costs of larger scale conflicts such as the 0ar in 'ra7. Benefits of Conflicts and !isputes Conflict is change. 9ithout it, attitudes, beha,iors, and relationships stay the sa+e, regardless of 0hether they are fair. 3lthough conflict is often understood as so+ething negati,e, this essay e6plores its +any benefits. Conflict .tages <ost conflicts go through a series of stages, 0hich +ay or +ay not occur in order. &hey often start as latent conflict 4 proble+s bre0ing, but not yet erupted. &hey then e+erge, escalate, de escalate and are resol,ed 4 so+eti+es per+anently, so+eti+es te+porarily until they e+erge or escalate again. &his essay describes the stages, and lin1s to +ore detailed essays on each stage. -&hese detailed essays are optional./ Conflict 3ssess+ent Conflict assess+ent is the first stage in the process of conflict +anage+ent and resolution. 't begins by clarifying participantsD interests, needs, positions, and issues, and then engages sta1eholders to find solutions. Understanding 0hat is in,ol,ed in 4 and then doing 4 at least a si+ple conflict assess+ent is essential for anyone 0anting to resol,e any but the si+plest dispute successfully. .ettle+ent, *esolution, <anage+ent, and &ransfor+ation: 3n "6planation of &er+s &hese refer to four different goals for approaching 4 and perhaps ending 4 a conflict or dispute. 9hile these ter+s are fre7uently considered to be synono+ous, they actually refer to ,ery different philosophies and approaches to conflict, and result in a considerably different end state. Back to $nit %isting

$he /sycholo)y of Conflict

(sychology is deeply intert0ined 0ith conflict 4 both as a cause and an effect. 9hen people are afraid or angry or distrustful, this tends to contribute to conflict escalation, and at the sa+e ti+e, conflicts can cause people to beco+e afraid, angry, and/or distrustful. &he sa+e is true 4 though usually to a lesser degree 4 in disputes. &he follo0ing essays in,estigate the interaction bet0een psychological factors and conflicts/disputes. "+otions Fegotiation theory often assu+es that people in conflict beha,e rationally, but e+otional factors also play a large role in peopleDs attitudes and beha,iors. &his essay e6a+ines the i+portance of these e+otional factors in both conflict assess+ent and response. 3nger 3nger can be constructi,e, but is +ore often destructi,e. &his essay e6a+ines the interplay bet0een anger and conflict and discusses 0hen and ho0 anger should be +anaged. ;ear ;ear is both a cause and a conse7uence of both ,iolent and non,iolent conflicts. 't certainly +a1es conflict resolution +ore difficult. Guilt and .ha+e 9e feel guilty for 0hat 0e do. 9e feel sha+e for 0hat 0e are. Both lead to and are caused by conflict. ;ace 2;ace2 refers to self estee+. 9hile it is of +ore i+portance in so+e cultures than others, no one, in any culture, li1es to loo1 2stupid,2 or to be +ade fun of. Ci1e the other pyschological factors here, face 4 loss of or sa,ing face 4 can effect conflict in both positi,e and negati,e 0ays.

%nit II

%nit II "ssi)n#ent* Choose a dispute or conflict that has affected you deeply. 't can be a personal one 4 a fight at 0or1 or in the fa+ily 4 or a +ore public one that you care about deeply 4 the 0ar in 'ra7, abortion, gay rights, 0hate,er. 'n $ : pages, e6a+ine ho0 e+otions played a role in that conflict and 0hat 0as done -or +ight ha,e been done/ to harness these e+otions in a +ore positi,e 0ay. Back to $nit %isting

%nit III
Relationshi0s in Conflict
*elationships 4 good and bad 4 are a 1ey to disputes, conflicts, and their resolution. &hese essays e6a+ine relationship issues 4 the good and the bad. !a+aged or !estroyed *elationships (eople on opposite sides of a long running conflict tend to distrust or e,en hate each other. &his ta1es an e+otional toll on both parties and pre,ents the+ fro+ 0or1ing together in the future. <anaging 'nterpersonal &rust and !istrust &rust has often been praised as the 2glue2 that holds relationships together and enables indi,iduals to pool their resources 0ith others. Unfortunately, 0hen conflict escalates to a dysfunctional le,el, trust is often one of the first casualties. !istrust !istrust can result in a self fulfilling prophecy, 0here e,ery +o,e another person +a1es is interpreted as e,idence that he/she cannot be trusted. 9hen the other person reciprocates this senti+ent, there is +utual distrust that further fuels the escalation of conflict. &rust and &rust Building &rust co+es fro+ the understanding that hu+ans are interdependent, that they need each other to sur,i,e. &hird parties can atte+pt to use this insight to pro+ote trust bet0een disputing parties. *espect &reating people 0ith respect is 1ey to conflict transfor+ation. 9hen they are denied respect or are hu+iliated, people tend to react negati,ely, creating conflicts or escalating e6isting ones. Conflict &ransfor+ation <any people belie,e that conflict happens for a reason and that it brings +uch needed change. &herefore, to eli+inate conflict 0ould also be to eli+inate conflictDs dyna+ic po0er. 'n transfor+ation, a conflict is changed into so+ething constructi,e, rather than being eli+inated altogether. 3pology and ;orgi,eness Ane po0erful 0ay to +end relationships after conflicts and disputes is through apology and forgi,eness. &hese are t0o sides of the +ulti faceted 2dia+ond2 of reconciliation. &hough often s1ipped -for a ,ariety of reasons/, both are necessary for true reconciliation to ta1e place. %nit III "ssi)n#ent* Choose 3FA&H"* dispute or conflict that has affected you deeply. 't can be a personal one 4 a fight at 0or1 or in the fa+ily 4 or a +ore public one that you care about deeply 4 the 0ar in 'ra7, abortion, gay rights, 0hate,er. 'n $ : pages, loo1 at the relationship issues in,ol,ed

in this conflict. 9hat relationships ha,e been da+aged8 Ho08 9hat can be done to repair the+8 Back to $nit %isting

%nit IV
Co##unication Issues
Co++unication is also 1ey to conflicts and disputes, and li1e e+otions and relationships, the interaction goes t0o 0ays. Co++unication proble+s tend to lead to or e6acerbate conflict, 0hile good co++unication is essential to its resolution. &hese essays e6plore both issues. 'nterpersonal / .+all .cale Co++unication *obert Juillen 0rote, 2!iscussion is an e6change of 1no0ledgeI argu+ent an e6change of e+otion.2 &his essay e6plains 0hy interpersonal co++unication often brea1s do0n and ho0 to +a1e it +ore effecti,e. Channels of Co++unication 'n escalated conflicts, parties often cease co++unicating altogether, or they ignore each other, assu+ing the other is biased or si+ply 0rong. Apening channels of co++unication is an i+portant first step in conflict +anage+ent or resolution. <isunderstandings For+al con,ersations al+ost al0ays in,ol,e +isco++unication, but conflict see+s to 0orsen the proble+. ",en if the +isunderstandings do not cause a conflict or dispute, they can escalate one rapidly once it starts. "+pathic Cistening *ichard .ale+ 0rites, 2' spent long hours learning to read and 0rite and e,en had classroo+ training in public spea1ing, but ' ne,er had a lesson in listening or thought of listening as a learnable s1ill until ' entered the 0orld of +ediation as an adult.2 &his essay tries to re+edy that situation. ' <essages and >ou <essages ' +essages can be a useful tool for defusing interpersonal conflict. &his essay describes ho0 they can be used, their benefits, and their proble+s. !ialogue 'n the conflict resolution sense, dialogue is a strategy used to e6plore deep differences that are not li1ely to be easily resol,ed or ignored. 'n dialogue, the intention is not to ad,ocate but to in7uireI not to argue but to e6ploreI not to con,ince but to disco,er. &his essay introduces the concept of dialogue, discusses 0hy it is needed, and suggests 0ays to do it effecti,ely. %nit IV "ssi)n#ent* &ry using e+pathic listening and ' +essages in real discussions -t0o different discussions/. &hen 0rite up a 1 # page su++ary for each -t0o different su++aries/, e6plaining 0hat you did and ho0 it 0ent. 9hat did you learn8 Back to $nit %isting

/o!er Issues
(o0er is another 1ey factor in all conflicts and disputes, although it +ay not be e,ident or o,ertly utiliHed. 't also is not as one di+ensional as +any people thin1. Aftenti+es 0e assu+e

%nit V

that the rich, strong, and 0ell connected people are the ones 0ith po0er, 0hile the rest of us are relati,ely po0erless. 'f 0e understand the different sources and types of po0er, ho0e,er, 0e learn that it is not nearly that si+ple. 9e all ha,e po0er 4 if 0e 1no0 ho0 to find it and use it effecti,ely. (o0er

'f po0er 0ere one di+ensional, 0e could agree on 0ho has +ore and 0ho has less. Ho0e,er, 0e are often surprised 0hen a see+ingly less po0erful party holds a +ore po0erful party at bay. &his essay discusses both potential and actual po0er, the for+s po0er can ta1e, and its role in causing and sol,ing conflicts. Coerci,e (o0er 9hen they thin1 of 2po0er,2 +any people thin1 of coercion 4 the ability to force people to do 0hat you 0ant by threatening the+ 0ith o,er0hel+ing force. &his is, indeed, one for+ of po0er, though there are others. &his essay discusses the pros and cons of using coerci,e po0er and the for+s that such po0er can ta1e. *e,enge and the Bac1lash "ffect <ost people hate to be forced to do things against their 0ill. Using threats often produces such a large bac1lash that +ore proble+s are caused than sol,ed, as this essay e6plains. Fon,iolence and Fon,iolent !irect 3ction Ane for+ of coerci,e po0er that is less li1ely to spa0n re,enge is non,iolent direct action. &his is action 4 such as stri1es, boycotts, +arches, or de+onstrations 4 that is usually underta1en by a group of people in an effort to persuade so+eone else to change their beha,ior. &hough so+eti+es considered 20hi+py2 or 2co0ardly,2 non,iolence can actually ta1e a great deal of courage and be a ,ery strong tool of persuasion. "6change (o0er .i+ply, e6change po0er +eans that 2' do so+ething for you in order to get you to do so+ething for +e.2 Ho0e,er, this si+ple concept has for+ed the basis for ,ery co+ple6 hu+an interactions. 't also for+s the basis of all negotiation. 'ntegrati,e (o0er 'ntegrati,e po0er is the po0er that binds hu+ans together. Kenneth Boulding calls it 2lo,e2 or, 2if that is too strong,2 he says, 2call it respect.2 &hough seldo+ studied or discussed, Boulding argues that it is the strongest for+ of po0er, especially because the other t0o for+s -e6change and coerci,e po0er/ cannot operate 0ithout integrati,e po0er too. (ersuasion (ersuasion is the ability to change peopleDs attitudes largely through the s1illful use of language. <artin Cuther KingDs %etter from a Birmingham &ail is a classic e6a+ple of persuasion. (o0er 'ne7uities (lutarch 0rote, 23n i+balance bet0een rich and poor is the oldest and +ost fatal ail+ent of all republics.2 &his essay deals 0ith the po0er ine7uities that ha,e e6isted in al+ost all hu+an societies. "+po0er+ent .aul 3lins1y 0rote, 2' tell people to hell 0ith charity, the only thing youDll get is 0hat youDre strong enough to get.2 &his essay discusses 0hat e+po0er+ent is, ho0 it can be acco+plished, 0ho should do it, 0hen, and 0hat the outco+es +ight be. Eoice &hose 0hose ,oices are +ost often silenced include 0o+en, children, +inority groups, indigenous peoples, and the poor. &his essay e6plains the i+portance of ha,ing a ,oice, 0hether it is through ,oting, holding office, or ha,ing a seat at the negotiating table. Capacity Building 'n order to negotiate effecti,ely, parties so+eti+es need to build their o0n or othersD capacity to respond to their situation effecti,ely by building 1no0ledge, pro,iding resources, or both. &his is one of se,eral 0ays to build oneDs po0er. Fet0or1ing

&his essay describes ho0 net0or1ing can be used to build relationships and e+po0er indi,iduals and groups to confront difficult conflicts +ore effecti,ely. Coalition Building Coalition building is the +a1ing of alliances or coalitions bet0een indi,iduals, groups, or countries 0ho cooperati,ely 0or1 together to reach a co++on goal. 't is yet another 0ay to increase a personDs or groupDs po0er. 3cti,is+ &his essay discusses 0ays that disputants can -and do/ address conflicts in constructi,e 0ays through acti,is+. .ocial <o,e+ents .ocial +o,e+ents are groups of indi,iduals 0ho co+e together around an issue to bring about -or resist/ change. %nit V "ssi)n#ent* Go bac1 to the dispute or conflict that you discussed in Unit '' or ''' -or you can choose another one, but that 0ill be +ore 0or1 because youDll ha,e to e6plain it to +e/. 'n $ : pages, e6plain 0hat sources of po0er the pri+ary parties ha,e and 0hat po0er strategies -integrati,e, coerci,e, or e6change/ 0ere used by 0ho+. 3lso, 0hat other po0er options +ight be used in this circu+stance8 9ould these be helpful or har+ful8 Back to $nit %isting

%nit VI
Cultural Issues
Lust li1e all the other broad topics discussed so far, culture is ine6orably intert0ined 0ith conflict on all le,els. 'f one defines 2culture2 broadly to not only +ean ethnic differences, but 0orld,ie0 differences bet0een -for e6a+ple/ +en and 0o+enI children and adultsI labor and +anage+entI la0yers and nonla0yersI nurses, doctors, and patientsI funda+entalist Christians, Le0s, <usli+s, and BuddhistsI it beco+es clear that cultural differences are all around us. &hese essays discuss ho0 these differences can lead to disputes and conflicts 4 and, as al0ays, ho0 these conflicts can be constructi,ely addressed. Culture and Conflict (eople fro+ different cultures often ha,e such radically different 0orld,ie0s that 0hat see+s li1e co++on sense to one side is anything but sensible to the other. !ifferent cultures and 0orld,ie0s can lead to co+pletely different understandings -or 2fra+es2/ of a conflict, +a1ing resolution a challenge. Cultural and 9orld,ie0 ;ra+es Conflict is ine6tricably bound up 0ith 0ho 0e see oursel,es to be and 0hat +eaning 0e +a1e of the 0orld. <any conflicts occur 0hen people feel their identities or 0orld,ie0s are threatened. Cross Cultural Co++unication ",en 0ith all the good 0ill in the 0orld, +isco++unication is li1ely to happen, especially 0hen there are significant cultural differences bet0een co++unicators. 3s "d0ard &. Hall 0rites, successful cross cultural co++unication re7uires 2reorganiHing MourN thin1ing...and fe0 people are 0illing to ris1 such a radical +o,e.2 Co++unication &ools for Understanding Cultural !ifferences 3 continuation and elaboration of the pre,ious essay, this essay describes ,arious things that are i+portant to 1no0 and address if one is to be successful at cross cultural co++unication. <ediation and <ulticulturalis+ 'n this essay, the author discusses his e6periences 0ith +ulticultural +ediation and suggests 0ays that +ediators can a,oid +isunderstandings.

%nit VI "ssi)n#ent* Go to: http://000.+ediate.org/pg$$.cf+. &his is a list of +o,ies put together by our friends at C!* associates. .croll do0n to the section on Gender/Class/'ntercultural/*acial !ifferences and Conflict. Choose one of these +o,ies, rent it, 0atch it, and 0rite # : pages about ho0 culture affects the conflict-s/ in the +o,ie and ho0 these issues are dealt 0ith. Back to $nit %isting

Escalation and &e1Escalation Strate)ies

2"scalation,2 Guy Burgess says, 2is the +ost po0erful force in the uni,erse.2 He +eans in the social uni,erse of course 4 it canDt beat gra,ity or nuclear forces 0hich hold +olecules together 4 but it can lead to the se,ering of nuclear bonds in the for+ of nuclear 0ar5 &hese essays discuss the danger 4 and also the possible benefits -in so+e circu+stances/ 4 of escalation and 0hat can be done to ensure that it is only used safely and 0isely under controlled conditions. !estructi,e "scalation &his introductory essay discusses escalation, e6plaining 0hat it is, 0hy and ho0 it occurs, and 0hy it is so dangerous. (olariHation (olariHation is closely lin1ed to escalation. Aften as escalation occurs, +ore and +ore people get in,ol,ed, and they ta1e strong positions on one side or the other. 2(olariHation2 thus refers to the process in 0hich people +o,e to0ard e6tre+e positions -the 2poles2/, lea,ing fe0er and fe0er people 2in the +iddle.2 Constructi,e "scalation !espite the dangers of escalation, disputants often intentionally escalate conflicts. (arties generally do this 0hen they feel their needs are being ignored. &his essay e6a+ines the ris1s and benefits of tactical escalation and offers suggestions on ho0 the ris1s can be +ini+iHed. Ci+iting "scalation / !e escalation &his is the first of se,eral 2solution2 essays. &his introductory essay describes 0ays to pre,ent escalation in the first place, and strategies for de escalating disputes and conflicts if pre,ention didnDt 0or1. Cooling Aff (eriods "scalation can so+eti+es be slo0ed or stopped by calling for a short ter+ 2cooling off2 period, during 0hich ti+e all the parties stop engaging and step bac1 to loo1 at the situation and consider ho0 they +ight be able to proceed +ore constructi,ely. "scalation Ci+iting Canguage &his is language 0hich can a,oid escalation in the first place, or di+inish it once it has occurred. (re,enting 'nterpersonal Eiolence &his essay e6a+ines 0hat can be done to pre,ent ,iolence at the interpersonal, s+all group, and co++unity le,el -as opposed to the international le,el/. &he pre,ention of fa+ily ,iolence, gang ,iolence, and ,iolence in schools are e6a+ples of topics considered in this essay. %nit VII "ssi)n#ent* Choose either the dispute or conflict you discussed in Unit '' or ''', or the +o,ie you discussed in Unit E'. Ho0 0as escalation e,ident in this situation or +o,ie8 Ho0 0as it dealt 0ith8 -'f

%nit VII

none of these situations e6hibited escalation, choose another conflict that does and use that one for this # : page assign+ent./ Back to $nit %isting

%nit VIII
Ne)otiation
Fegotiation +ight be considered the 2core2 or 2baseline2 dispute resolution strategy. Aften done 0ithout +uch thought in day to day situations -such as 0hen 0e discuss 0hat to ha,e for dinner or 0hat +o,ie to see/, it can also beco+e ,ery co+ple6 and long lasting, as unions negotiate labor contracts, or businesses negotiate per+its 0ith go,ern+ent agencies. &hese essays discuss the 2nuts and bolts2 of negotiation. Fegotiation Fegotiation is bargaining 4 it is the process of discussion and gi,e and ta1e bet0een t0o or +ore disputants, 0ho see1 to find a solution to a co++on proble+. &his o,er,ie0 essay discusses basic strategies and tactics of negotiation. 'nterests, (ositions, Feeds and Ealues Understanding the differences bet0een these four concepts is essential to effecti,e negotiation. Best 3lternati,e to a Fegotiated 3gree+ent -B3&F3/ B3&F3 is a ter+ in,ented by *oger ;isher and 9illia+ Ury 0hich stands for 2best alternati,e to a negotiated agree+ent.2 3ny negotiator should deter+ine his or her B3&F3 before agreeing to any negotiated settle+ent. Oone of (ossible 3gree+ent -OA(3/ &he OA(3 is the co++on ground bet0een t0o disputing parties. &he OA(3 is critical to the successful outco+e of negotiation, but it +ay ta1e so+e ti+e to deter+ine 0hether a OA(3 e6ists. 9in 9in / 9in Cose / Cose Cose .ituations &he ter+s, 29in 9in,2 29in Cose,2 and 2Cose Cose2 are basic concepts in dispute resolution. &hey are ga+e theory ter+s that refer to the possible outco+es of a ga+e or dispute in,ol,ing t0o sides, and +ore i+portantly, 0hat the i+plications of those outco+es are. Co+petiti,e and Cooperati,e 3pproaches to Conflict &his set of +aterials e6plores these t0o different approaches to conflict and the results of pursuing one or the other. Co+pro+ise 3 co+pro+ise is a solution to a +utual proble+ that +eets so+e, but not all, of each of the partiesD interests. 9hile co+pro+ise is good for repairing da+aged relationships, it can also lea,e both parties unsatisfied, prolonging conflict. *ipeness 3 conflict is said to be ripe once both parties realiHe they cannot 0in, and the conflict is costing the+ too +uch to continue. &his tends to be a good ti+e to open negotiations. *ipeness pro+oting strategies 'f a conflict is not yet ripe, that does not +ean one should abandon efforts at +anage+ent or resolution. *ather, steps can be ta1en to coa6 the parties to +o,e to0ard de escalation. <ost of the negotiation literature focuses on t0o strategies, although they are called by ,arious na+es. Ane strategy is interest based -or integrati,e or cooperati,e/ bargaining, 0hile the other is positional -or distributi,e or co+petiti,e/ bargaining. Ca6 and .ebenius 0ere a+ong the first to argue that actually all negotiations are co+binations of both approaches: ;irst, negotiators try to 2create ,alue2 by 2enlarging the pie2 as +uch as they can. -&his is the

approach ad,ocated by interest based negotiation./ But ine,itably, the pie 0ill then need to be di,ided up, 0hich calls for distributi,e negotiation. .o, they clai+ that all negotiation is a co+bination of creating and clai+ing ,alue, not one or the other as other theorists suggest. &he last t0o essays discuss the theory of 2ripeness,2 e6plaining 0hen it is and is not ti+e to negotiate and 0hat can be done to +a1e an 2unripe2 dispute or conflict 2ripe2 for negotiation. 'ntegrati,e or 'nterest Based Bargaining 'n integrati,e bargaining, the parties atte+pt to 2enlarge the pie2 or allocate resources in such a 0ay that e,eryone gets 0hat they 0ant. !istributi,e Bargaining 'n distributi,e bargaining, the parties assu+e that there is not enough to go around. &hus, the +ore one side gets, the less the other side gets. (ositional Bargaining &his type of bargaining negotiates fro+ positions, rather than interests. 't is +ore typical in situations 0here there is a 2fi6ed pie2 to be di,ided up, or 0here both sides cannot possibly 0in, and hence an integrati,e approach is not possible. Creating and Clai+ing Ealue 'n any negotiation, the parties decide 0hether to be co+petiti,e or cooperati,e. Ho0e,er, so+e theorists argue that this is a false dichoto+y 4 that all negotiations in,ol,e both. %nit VIII "ssi)n#ent* !escribe a negotiation. >ou can use one that you 0ere actually in,ol,ed in or 1no0 about, or you can use an instance fro+ a tele,ision sho0 or a +o,ie. -&he recently released hank 'ou (or Smoking is a good one, ' a+ told, as are +any of the ones on the afore+entioned C!* list/. >ou can e,en use the sa+e +o,ie you used before, but you +ight need to 0atch it again. 'n # : pages, describe: 9hat are the partiesD positions8 'nterests8 B3&F3s8 Fegotiation strategies8 !id they use interest based or distributi,e bargaining8 !id they negotiate effecti,ely 4 or +ight they ha,e done better8 'f so, ho08 Back to $nit %isting

When Ne)otiation "lone &oesn3t Wor4

.o+eti+es, negotiation alone is not enough to resol,e a dispute. 'n such cases, assistance can be brought in 4 in the for+ of +ediation, arbitration, or other third party inter,ention, or other techni7ues that see1 goals other than resolution. &his unit e6plores so+e of those options. 3lternati,e !ispute *esolution -3!*/ 3lternati,e dispute resolution -3!*/ is a ter+ generally used to refer to infor+al dispute resolution processes in 0hich the parties +eet 0ith a professional third party 0ho helps the+ resol,e their dispute. ;acilitation ;acilitation is a process in 0hich a neutral person helps a group 0or1 together +ore effecti,ely. Good facilitators can help groups stay on tas1 and be +ore creati,e, efficient, and producti,e. <ediation <ediation is a conflict resolution process in 0hich a third party assists the disputants to co++unicate better, analyHe their conflicts and their options, and de,elop a +utually satisfactory solution. ;ra+es, ;ra+ing, and *efra+ing

%nit I2

;ra+es are the 0ay 0e see things and define 0hat 0e see. ;ra+ing can be a significant i+pedi+ent to conflict resolution, and refra+ing an i+portant part of finding a solution. Bernard <ayer 0rote, 2&he art of refra+ing is to +aintain the conflict in all its richness but to help people loo1 at it in a +ore open +inded and hopeful 0ay.2 &his essay e6plains ho0 that can be done. 3rbitration 3rbitration is a +ethod of resol,ing a dispute in 0hich the disputants present their case to an i+partial third party, 0ho then +a1es a decision for the+ 0hich resol,es the conflict. &his decision is usually binding. 3rbitration differs fro+ +ediation, in 0hich a third party si+ply helps the disputants de,elop a solution on their o0n. 3d)udication 3d)udication is a )udicial procedure for resol,ing a dispute. 'n the conte6t of 3!*, it usually +eans the traditional court based litigation process. Hybrid (rocesses 3 hybrid dispute resolution process co+bines ele+ents of t0o or +ore traditionally separate processes into one. Hybrid processes are generally used 0hen parties belie,e a dispute re7uires ele+ents of +ultiple processes and 0hen a practitioner is s1illful enough to fill t0o roles. Grie,ance (rocedures Grie,ance procedures are a standardiHed set of procedures to follo0 0hen so+eone has a co+plaint or a proble+. &hese are fre7uently used in 0or1place conflicts. 9hen used effecti,ely, they can significantly reduce the outbrea1 of intractable conflict. Consensus Building Consensus building is used to settle conflicts that in,ol,e +ultiple parties and co+plicated issues. &he approach see1s to transfor+ ad,ersarial confrontations into a cooperati,e search for infor+ation and solutions that +eet all partiesD interests and needs. %nit I2 "ssi)n#ent* ;ind a conflict or dispute that is +a1ing a lot of ne0s. 9rite a # $ page paper that discusses the follo0ing 7uestions: 1. Ho0 do the different sides fra+e the conflict8 #. 'f you 0ere a +ediator, ho0 +ight you try to get the+ to refra+e it8 $. !o you see a possible role for a third party in this conflict8 9hat 1ind8 9hat +ight he/she do8 Back to $nit %isting

%nit 2
$he $hird Side
Ane of the best 1no0n conflict professionals in the 0orld, Bill Ury, has de,eloped the concept of 2the &hird .ide,2 0hich goes beyond typical third party roles of +ediation and arbitration to point out that there are roles that "E"*>AF" can play in disputes and conflicts to help the+ be handled +ore constructi,ely. &his final unit e6plores UryDs 10 third side roles and tries to encourage you to consider ho0 >AU can beco+e acti,e through one or +ore of these roles in the disputes and conflicts affecting your life. &hird .iders &hird siders act in a co++unity threatened 0ith destructi,e conflict as an i++une syste+ acts in a body threatened by disease. 3,erage citiHens such as teachers, )ournalists, artists and police officers can play 1ey roles in pre,enting, de escalating and resol,ing conflict. Bill Ury has labeled these people 2third siders.2 Bridge Builders

3 relationship operates li1e sa,ings in the ban1I 0hene,er an issue arises, the parties can dip into their account of good0ill to help deal 0ith it. Bridge building, or the act of building relationships, ta1es place all around us, so+eti+es 0ithout us e,en percei,ing it. <ediators <ediators get in,ol,ed in a dispute in order to help the parties resol,e it. Unli1e arbitrators or )udges, +ediators ha,e no po0er to define or enforce an agree+ent, but they can help the parties to ,oluntarily reach agree+ent. 3rbitrators 3rbitrators listen to the argu+ents of both sides in a dispute and issue a final and binding decision. 3rbitration is used for cases that either cannot be negotiated, or 0here negotiation has failed. "ducators "ducators play a critical role in pre,enting or de escalating conflict. &eaching tolerance and critical thin1ing and helping to brea1 do0n stereotypes can help disputants +anage their o0n conflicts +ore constructi,ely. 9itnesses 'n Bloo+ington, 'ndiana, a group called 2<o+s on (atrol2 0al1s the streets 0ith cell phones, loo1ing out for dangerous gang acti,ity, and reporting it to the police. By 0atching carefully, 0itnesses li1e <o+s on (atrol can pre,ent escalation of conflict and e,en sa,e li,es. &his essay describes 0hat 0itnesses can do and ho0 they can do it. (eace1eepers 9hen ,iolence brea1s out, the co++unity needs to e+ploy +easures to stop har+ful conflict in its trac1s. &he police and UF peace1eepers can act as peace1eepers, but it is a co++unity function too. (arents, teachers, and co 0or1ers all can be peace1eepers in their o0n do+ains, as described in this essay. Healers Conflict often lea,es deep 0ounds. ",en if a conflict appears resol,ed, the 0ounds +ay re+ain and, 0ith the+, the danger that the conflict could recur. &he role of the healer is to restore in)ured relationships. "7ualiHers .tronger parties often refuse to negotiate 0ith 0ea1er parties. &his is 0here the e7ualiHer co+es in. "ach of us is capable of e+po0ering the 0ea1 and the unrepresented. &his essay discusses the role of the e7ualiHer in conflicts. *eferees 'f and 0hen people do fight, it is i+portant to reduce the har+. *eferees set li+its on fighting. (ro,iders Conflict usually arises in the first place fro+ frustrated needs, li1e safety, identity, lo,e and respect. (ro,iders are those 0ho help fulfill such needs. %nit 2 "ssi)n#ent* &hird .ide "6ercise: ;ind a conflict in your co++unity 4 one that is in the ne0spaper or one that you 1no0 about. 9hat third side role-s/ +ight you be able to play in this conflict to +a1e it +ore constructi,e8 Briefly describe the proble+ and 0hat you +ight be able to do to address it in a # $ page paper. Beyond Intractability Version II Copyright P #00$ #00% &he Beyond 'ntractability (ro)ect Beyond 'ntractability is a *egistered &rade+ar1 of the Uni,ersity of Colorado (ro)ect 3c1no0ledge+ents $he Beyond Intractability no!led)e Base /ro+ect Guy Burgess and Heidi Burgess, Co !irectors and "ditors c/o Conflict *esearch Consortiu+, Uni,ersity of Colorado

Ca+pus Bo6 =@0, Boulder, CA @0$0?